Hello from LOTO

[rgregory]

Hello everyone,

Looking forward to being a Cobalt owner soon. Been boating for decades and always been a fan of the Cobalt brand. We recently relocated to Lake of the Ozarks to live our retirement dream of living on a lake, even if it is snowing like it is today (: I was hoping to get some feedback on what we are considering for our first Cobalt purchase. The first option is a very low hour 2013 262 single owner that is in like new condition, my only concern with this boat is the 320hp VP DP being under powered. The second option is a new R7 that we can order optioned however we want. Clearly we would be spending twice the amount buying new, which I'm not against, but we would be very happy with the 2013 if the powerplant is sufficient. I even prefer the styling of the 262 over the R7 i.e. gauges vs Garmin displays etc.. Our current boat, which resides in Lake Havasu AZ, is a 1999 Four Winns 200 Horizon that we bought new, it has a VP 5.0 GI, I always regretted not getting the larger engine and don't want to make the same mistake again.

Anyways I'm glad to be here and look forward to any and all input.

Regards,
Ross

[AsLan7]

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Hey Ross, welcome to the CChat forum. So glad you found us!

Four Winns makes a nice boat but you will notice the step up in a Cobalt. Great to have options.

How many folks do you plan on carrying in the 262? The 380 HP is the sweet spot in that size and works with persons up to 15 fairly well. If you don't plan on that many, the 320 horse will work fine with the duo prop. The twin props is really where the advantage is for maneuvering and planing.

Looking forward to your pictures.

Again, welcome aboard mate!

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[tgrace98]

Hello from St Louis/table Rock Lake!

So it might be a little older than you are looking for but I’m kicking around the idea of upgrading and selling my 2002 262. Here are a couple teaser pics. Let me know if this is something you might be interested in.

She is well equipped with the 375hp volvo 496

[AsLan7]

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.....and Tgrace98's has the 380 horse in the 2000-2007 262 series hull with the center walk thru. Arguably one of the top three hulls ever built by Cobalt!

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[Big Block Power]

Hello welcome from Wisconsin. I personally think smaller is better.
Don't worry Matt has the perfect engine for you. He'll post a picture of the new option. We saw it at the factory while on tour. Besides tgraces boat which is a great option I perfer . I have another buddy I think with a 2010 262 but it is Florida. It's a closed system sits on a lift and has new manifolds on it Already so it's like a freshy only in salt. If you want info let me know. Merc 8.2 b3 drive.

[Big Block Power]

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.....and Tgrace98's has the 380 horse in the 2000-2007 262 series hull with the center walk thru. Arguably one of the top three hulls ever built by Cobalt!

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The 190 and 220 were the other 2 just in case you were wondering.

[AsLan7]

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.....and Tgrace98's has the 380 horse in the 2000-2007 262 series hull with the center walk thru. Arguably one of the top three hulls ever built by Cobalt!

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The 190 and 220 were the other 2 just in case you were wondering.

Well I might substitute the 343 for one of those.

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[Big Block Power]

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.....and Tgrace98's has the 380 horse in the 2000-2007 262 series hull with the center walk thru. Arguably one of the top three hulls ever built by Cobalt!

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The 190 and 220 were the other 2 just in case you were wondering.

Well I might substitute the 343 for one of those.

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That beast is in a totally different league of its own.

[Table Rockin]

I had the 6.2 320 HP on my 2003 240. It was fine for that boat and I dont think I really ever noticed it being "under-powered". However, that boat isnt as big as the 262. My new boat (2017 R7) has the 6.0L 430 HP and you can tell the difference. R7 and the 262 are pretty close to the same sized boat....and I would be scared powering either of those with the 6.2L 320HP.

If the R7 is really is play, and your comfortable spending the cash, thats the route I would take. But I would also look for 2017 used one with the VP 6.2L 380 HP. If you do go this route, make sure the 2017 has the 6.2L version rather than the 6.0L. 2017 was the year they switched over and earlier boats off the line that year got the 6.0L (like mine) and later ones got the 6.2L. Plus the 2017 has the updated interior....which i think looks really nice.

[Table Rockin]

Also, I forgot to mention but with you being on LOTO I would get the biggest engine i could. Might be helpful getting out of jam or if you just wanted to overtake someone to get out of their wake. I love LOTO but that lake can get rough. And since Aslan was so kind to drop pics of the 343, I know there is at least one for sale there with the twin blue engines. And you'd save money buying that one over ordering a new R7.....or even over buying a used R7.

[akorcovelos]

"My boat engine is too big"
-Noone ever

Welcome aboard!

[Big Block Power]

"My boat engine is too big"
-Noone ever

Welcome aboard!

We have a member that thinks his tower is too high and wants to chop it off.

[Ytmsn]

Welcome from Oklahoma!

"Does this transom make my boat look big?"

[rgregory]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Most of our boating would be my wife and I and maybe 4 to 6 more when we have company. We are not much it to water sports anymore but would like to know we can pull a skier if we want. I agree you cant get an engine that's to big, just hoping the 320 hp would be sufficient since we really like that particular boat.

Ross

[Bobo87]

Howdy Ross and welcome from Texas. Just know the key is Cobalt everything else is semantics.